The Crystal Catacombs
by SasaRea
Summary: What if Zuko had sided with the gAang instead of Azula in Ba Sing Se? How would it have changed the story? Sorry, I'm not the best at summaries. If you want me to continue, please review.
1. Trapped

**The Crystal Catacombs**

**Disclaimer: I do not own a:tla. Seriously, people.**

**Author's Note: I always wondered how everything would have changed if Zuko had sided with the gAang instead of Azula. I will probably switch the point of view every now and then. Please review, and tell me what you think I should change or if I need to correct grammar/spelling. This is my first fanfiction.**

"Why did they throw you in here?" I demanded angrily. "Oh, wait, it's a trap. So when Aang shows up to help me you can finally have him in your little Fire Nation clutches."

Zuko stares at the cave floor, completely ignoring me.

"You're a terrible person, you know that?" I spit out. He continues to ignore everything I say. "Always following us, hunting the avatar, trying to capture the world's last hope for peace!" I continue, my voice rising in volume. Who does he think he is, anyway? Oh, I forgot, he's prince of the Fire Nation, the people behind all the violence and war. "But what do you care? You're the Fire lord's son. Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood."

"You don't know what you're talking about." He says loudly, his tone slightly hurt.

"I don't?" I ask angrily. "How dare you! You have no idea what this war has put me through, me personally! The Fire Nation took my mother away from me." Tears steam down my face, and I begin to sob, opening up all the pain and hurt that I never truly got over.

"I'm sorry." Zuko says quietly. He turns towards me. "That's something we have in common." I wipe away my tears, wondering what he means by that. I get up and begin pacing around the cave, wondering what's taking Aang so long. Did he get captured, too? Or maybe he's still with the guru, mastering the avatar state. Should it be taking this long? I look over at Zuko, who is standing quietly, not saying a word. I am starting to feel guilty about earlier. Maybe I should apologize.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier." I say quietly.

"I doesn't matter." He mutters.

"It's just that for so long now, when I imagined the face of the enemy, it was your face." Wait, that came out wrong.

"My face. I see." He says, running his fingers over his scar.

"Oh, no, that's not what I meant." I say in a rush.

"It's ok. I used to think this scar marked me, the mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the avatar forever. But lately, I've come to realize that I am free to determine my own destiny. Even if I'll never be free of my mark." What's with all this talk about destiny? Then I remember something.

"Maybe you could be free of it." I realize.

"What?" he asks, turning around.

"I have healing abilities."

"It's a scar. It can't be healed." He says. I pull out my amulet and hold it up for him to see.

"This is water from the spirit oasis at the north pole. It has special properties, so I've been saving it. I don't know if it would work, but…" I trail off.

I place my hand on his scar and he closes his eyes. Then a large crash echoes through cave, I take my hand off of his scar and look to see what caused it. "Aang!" I yell, and run forward to give him a big hug. "I knew you'd come!" I notice Zuko's uncle is here as well.

"Uncle, I don't understand. What are doing with the Avatar?" Zuko asks angrily.

"Saving you, that's what." Aang replies coldly.

"Ugh!" Zuko growls, moving towards Aang. However, his uncle steps in and holds him back.

"Zuko, its time we talked." He tells him. Then he turns to us. "Go help your other friends. We'll catch up with you." Aang bows in respect to Iroh and takes off sprinting. I follow him, but I turn back once before continuing down the tunnel.


	2. The Avatar Falls

Chp 2

Disclaimer: No, I don't own a:tla.

Zuko's POV

"Why, Uncle?" I ask quietly.

"You are not the man you used to be, Zuko. You are stronger, and wiser, and freer than you have ever been, and now, you are at the crossroads of your destiny. It's time for you to choose. It's time for you to choose good." Uncle said fiercly.

What does he mean by "good "? Haven't I always been good? Haven't I always been doing what's best for my country, for my father? Yes, sometimes my methods haven't been the best, but hasn't it always been for the greater good of the Fire Nation? Then the ground shook, and the crystals that cover the cave lengthen, trapping Uncle. I take a defensive stance, and Azula comes into the cave, followed by her Dai Li agents.

"I expected this kind of treachery from Uncle, but Zuko. Prince Zuko. You are a lot of things, but you're not a traitor. Are you?" she asks. The way she says it makes me suspicious. She's playing me-pretending she thinks I'll betray her and my nation, so I'll do it to show my loyalty.

"Release him immediatly." I demand.

"It's not too late for you, Zuko. You can still redeem yourself." She says. Redeem myself… have my honor back. My throne. Father's acceptance. Am I really going to throw away everything I have been seeking for the past three years for some girl who offered to fix an old scar with a bit of special water? To fix a scar that my own father gave to me…

"No, Zuko! The kind of redemption she offers is not for you!" Uncle says loudly, interrupting my thoughts.

"Why don't you let him decide, Uncle?" Azula snaps. Then she turns to me.

"I need you, Zuko. I've plotted out every move of this day, this glorious day in Fire Nation history, and the only way we win is together. By the end of today, you will have your honor back. You will have father's love. You will have everything you want." Father's love-something I always wanted, always strived for-and was never able to achieve. I could go home. I haven't been home in three years.

"I'm begging you, Prince Zuko. Look into your heart and see what it is you truly want." Uncle pleads.

"You are free to choose." Azula says lightly before leaving me alone with my decision. I already know what I'm going to do.

~.~.~

By the time I come running into the cave, Azula is ready to strike. I shoot blasts of fire in between Katara, the Avatar, and Azula, not aiming at anyone in particular. Katara is watching me, her eyes wide, not knowing who I'm with-her or Azula. I want it all back-my honor, my throne, father's love…but it's not right. After three years of searching I found the avatar- and now I'm going to join him.

~.~.~

I begin to shoot fire at Azula while Katara defends herself with shields made of water. Azula is beginning to realize she can't fight us both, so she turns to the Avatar, who is sitting on a growth of crystals near the ceiling. While Azula is distracted, Katara pushes her down with a powerful wave.

"Agh!" she shrieks, falling backwards. She gets up and begins to shoot blue fire at the Avatar, and the crystals he is standing on begin to crack. He jumps up to the ceiling, and Azula continues to fire at him. He jumps to the ground and earth bends a wave across the floor, knocking Azula off her feet again. She stands up, and begins to shoot blue flames at Katara. Katara bends a rope of water towards Azula, twisting it around her arm so she can't bend. Azula tries to fire with her feet next, they end up tangled, too. "We've got to find Sokka and Toph!" Katara yells to the Avatar. "Do you know where they are?"

"They're probably at the palace." The Avatar yells back. Katara twists her water ropes tighter around Azula. Azula continues to struggle, but a rock breaks through the ground and goes straight through Katara's water ropes, freeing Azula. Why is it that whenever I start winning, something comes and messes it up? "Aang!" she yells angrily. "That wasn't me." The Avatar replies. We look up at the walls, which are crawling with Dai li agents. They begin to jump off, landing on the floor. We are quickly surrounded. Katara arms herself with water from the water fall, I take a fighting stance, and so does the Avatar. "There's too many." He says quietly. He moves away from the Azula and the Dai Li, and creates a tent out of the crystals that grow in the caves. What is he doing? Meditating?

Then the caves begin to glow, and the Avatar rises up from the crystals. The Dai Li step back as the Avatar emerges, his eyes and tattooes glowing. Azula is standing behind the Avatar, and is preparing to strike. The crack of lightning resounds through the caves, and the Avatar stops glowing, and begins to fall. The Waterbender creates a wave and hurries to the Avatar's aid, knocking over Azula and the Dai Li. She holds him in her arms, tears streaming down her face. I step between her and Azula, protecting them both. A blast of fire comes down from the ceiling, separating us from Azula. I turn to see where it came from.

"Uncle!" I say in surprise.

"You've got to get out of here! I'll hold them off as long as I can!" he yells.

He noddes approvingly at me and smiles, and starts to firebend at Azula and her Dai Li agents. The Dai Li make the crystals encase him, and I make him a silent promise.

_ I'll come back and free you Uncle. I promise._

_A/N _

_Foreshadowing? Yes, maybe. Please Review... Reviews=Happy Author Happy Author=More Chapters More Chapters= Happy Reader_

_See? Reviewing helps EVERYONE! If there's anything you don't like, please tell me. I would like to improve my story AMAP (As Much As Possible)_


	3. The Fleet

Chp 3

Katara's POV

Disclaimer: I don't own a:tla. Hence fanFICTION

I lay Aang down on Appa's back and take off my amulet. I glance at Zuko, who is sitting quietly, away from everyone else. He looks back at me a shrugs. I open the amulet and take out the water. I bend it into a small oval and press it to Aang's back. It glows, and then disappears. I hug Aang and begin to cry. I already lost my mother-I can't lose Aang, too. Then his arrow glows faintly, and he groans quietly. I gasp, and lay him down again. He gives me a weak smile, and I hug him again. He'll be alright. He'll get better. _He has to. _

"The Earth kingdom has fallen." Kuei says sadly as we sour over the outer wall, and I lift my head to the sky.

"So, when is someone going to explain why we brought Angry Jerk?" Sokka asks, annoyed. No one answers, although Zuko scowls at him. The tension is finally starting to ease. "We need to find somewhere to stop. Twinkletoes is too weak to travel, and Ba Sing Se is now under Fire Nation rule." Toph says. No one talks for a long time, and soon we are flying over the ocean.

"Hey, there's Dad's fleet!" Sokka says loudly. "We could probably stop there!"

Appa lands in the water next to the lead ship. Bato is on the deck and he takes one look at Aang and invites us in. He lets us put Aang in one of the hammocks. "Do you have any water?" I ask. Bato nods and goes to get some. He comes back and hands it to me. I begin healing Aang, but the marks aren't going away, and he's still unconscious. Why hadn't I continued learning with Yugoda when we visited the Northern Tribe? When I'm finished, I bandage his wounds and leave so he can get some rest. I walk back out to the deck and stop. "Dad!" I cry, and run to give him a hug. "Katara."he says softly. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you, too."

"Sokka tells me you're a waterbending master." He says.

"I'm not a master, but I've learned a lot." I reply.

"Why don't we all sit down?" he says, motioning for Sokka and Toph to come too. We all sit on the deck.

"What happened to the Avatar?" Bato asks.

"Well, there was this battle beneath Ba Sing Se, and Angry Jerk changed sides and Aang got hit with lightning by this crazy firebender…." Sokka begins.

"Well, that sounds like an interesting story. By the way, I never got properly introduced to your friends." Dad says.

"This is Toph Beifong. She's an earthbender." Sokka says. "We met her at Earth Rumble Six, where she was known as the Blind Bandit."

"Su'p?" Toph asks.

"This is Earth King Kuei, and his pet bear, Bosco." Sokka continues.

"Nice to meet you." Dad says.

"Nice to meet you, too." The Earth King replies. There's an akward pause, and then Sokka clears his throat.

"And this is Zuko, better known as Angry Jerk." Sokka says.

"Sokka!" I groan.

"Hey, I recognize you. You're the kid with the ponytail." Bato says.

"So, when are you going to tell the story?" Dad asks.

"Well, it started when I was fishing…." Sokka begans.

"Sokka, I think he means the one about Ba Sing Se. Not the whole story." I snort.

"No, that's ok." Dad says.

"Snoozles, maybe it's better if Katara and I tell the story." Toph interjects.

"Can I at least tell the part about the drill?"Sokka whines.

"Fine." Toph says.

"So, we were on our way to Ba Sing Se, which we had to travel to on foot, because Aang gave up our tickets for the ferry so we could take the Serpent's Pass instead…." Sokka began. Then Zuko got up and walked over to the edge of the boat. I had no desire to hear Sokka talk about how we took down the giant drill, so I got up and followed him.

"Is something wrong?" I ask.

"No."

"Then why did you leave?" I ask.

"It's complicated."

"Oh."

" After you left the caves with the Avatar, Azula showed up. She…offered me a chance to redeem myself to my father, and to the Fire Nation. I seriously thought about siding with her." He says.

"But you didn't."

"I wanted to go home. A lot. I haven't been home in three years."

"Then why did you decide to side with us?"I ask.

"Because…my uncle wanted me to. And it seems like these past three years, my uncle's been a better father to me than my father was in thirteen."

"Zuko, can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"What happened to your mother?"

"I don't know. She disappeared when I was ten."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it."

"We have some extra hammocks below deck. You kids should probably get some rest." Dad says.

"Whatever." I mutter. I was happy when I first got to see Dad, but I'm still upset that he left us. Dad shows us to the hammocks below deck. I climb in the nearest one, but I have trouble sleeping. And, quietly, I begin to cry. For Aang, for mom, because Dad left, and because I'm really, really confused.

"Sugar Queen, will you shut up? I'm trying to sleep." Toph groans.

"Sorry." I mutter. I wipe my tears away and drift off to sleep.


	4. The Awakening Part 1:The Other Ship

**Chp 4: **

**Disclaimer: I don't own a:tla**

_A/N I originally intended to write about the few weeks when Aang was in a comma, but I didn't like what I had, so I started over when Aang wakes up. Tell me what you think!_

Katara's POV

I looked out over the water. So much has changed in the past few weeks. I mean, who would have thought that I would be friends with Zuko, Aang would be in a comma, and we would all be hiding out on a Fire Nation ship? If someone had told me it would happen in a couple of weeks, I would laughed. But it's happening. Then I hear a thud.

"Twinkletoes! That's gotta be you!" Toph yells.

"The Avatar." Zuko says shortly.

"Aang, you're awake!" I cry.

"Are you sure? I feel like I'm dreaming." He mutters.

"You're not. You're finally awake." I say, giving him a hug.

"Aang! Good to see you back with the living, buddy!" Sokka says jokingly, giving Aang a hug.

"Sokka?" he asks.

"Oh, no, someone catch him, he's going to…" Toph warns. I move forward to catch him and he falls. After a minute he stirs, and moves forward so he can sit up.

"Why are we on a Fire Nation ship? And why am I the only one who's completely out of it?" Aang asks.

"You need to take it easy." I say gently. Then Zuko walks up from behind me.

" Katara, Sokka says that…"

"You!" Aang says loudly, and holds his staff up in a threatening manner.

"Relax, Aang." I say, pulling him gently so he's sitting down again. "He's with us."

"He's…what?" Aang asks.

"After what happened in Ba Sing Se, we needed to get you to safety. And Zuko helped us out when we were in the caves, and now everyone in the Fire Nation thinks he's a traitor, and we couldn't just leave him, so…" I trail off. "I like your hair." I add.

"I have hair?!" He asks, felling his head. "How long was I out?!"

"A few weeks." I reply.

"Everything ok?" Dad asks. I look up at him angrily.

"We're fine, Dad." I reply coldly. He turns to Aang.

"I'm Hakoda, Katara and Sokka's dad." He says, shaking Aang's hand.

"He knows who you are. I just called you Dad, didn't I?" I snap.

"I guess you're right." He says quietly, and leaves to talk to Bato.

"Are you mad at your Dad?" Aang asks.

"No, not at all. Why would you say that?" I ask a little too quickly. You don't need to be Toph to tell I'm lying. I'm angry because he left us for 2 years to fight in the war. Because we needed him, and he wasn't there.

Aang shrugs, and then he winces.

"Maybe we should go upstairs. You need a healing session."

~.~.~

"Tell me where you main feels most intense."

"A little higher." He says. I move upwards a little, and he winces.

"Wow, you're definitely in the right area there." He says.

"I can feel a lot of energy twisted up around there. Let me just see if I can…" I mumble to myself. I remove my hands from his back, and his spine archs.

"Aang? Are you ok?"

"I went down. But I didn't just get hurt did I? It was worse than that. I was gone. But you brought me back." he says

"I just used the Spirit Water from the North pole. I don't know what I did, exactly." I tell him quietly.

Aang turns to face me. "You saved me."

"You need to rest." I tell him gently. "Why don't you go back to bed, and we'll tell you when dinner's ready?"

"No. I need to catch up on what's been happening." He says.

"Ok. Come on, let's go downstairs." I tell him, pulling him gently to his feet.

"Hey, there's Twinkletoes and Sugar Queen!" Toph says. The sun is just rising over the ocean, and we sit down next to Toph and Sokka.

"Good. Dad wouldn't let us start eating without them." Sokka says, digging into a bowl of noodles. Bato hands each of us a bowl. Zuko isn't here though. He's at the edge of the ship, staring out over the ocean. I walk up to him. "Is everything ok?" I ask.

"Yeah, everything's great. The Avatar's awake, we're planning an invasion of my home, and my uncle's sitting in prison because of me." He says bitterly

"Zuko, that wasn't your fault." I tell him. " And his name is Aang, not 'the Avatar'." I add.

"Yeah, I guess." He mutters, walking away, and going to sit next to Appa. I walk back towards Sokka, Dad, and Aang. Then I hear a foghorn and turn to see another Fire Nation ship heading towards us.

"I'll handle this."Aang says with determination. "The Avatar is back." He opens his glider and tries to get on, wincing as he extends his arms.

"Aang, wait. They don't know that we're not Fire Nation." I remind him.

"Fine." He grumbles, closing his glider.

"Do you want me to handle this?" Zuko asks, holding up his helmet.

"No, Zuko. They'd probably recognize you. You're their prince." I point out.

"Everyone stay calm. Bato and I will take care of it." Dad says, putting on his helmet.

"Ok. Pipsqueak and The Duke, cover Appa. Everyone else, below deck." Sokka commands. We all climb below deck, and Aang grumbles, "I hate not being able to do anything."

"Hopefully, you won't need to." Toph whispers.

"Shh. They're coming." Sokka hisses.

"Commander, why are you off course? All ships from the Western fleet are supposed to be moving towards Ba Sing Se to support the occupation." A male voice says.

"Actually, we're from the Eastern Fleet. We have orders to deliver some cargo." Dad says smoothly.

"Hmmm…The Eastern Fleet…Nice of Admiral Chan to let me know he was sending one of his ships our way."

"I'm sure Admiral Chan meant no disrespect, sir." Bato adds.

"I mean, how hard is it to write a quick note and send a hawk our way?" The man says in an annoyed tone.

"Next time we'll send two hawks to make sure you get the message." Dad says. I sigh in relief as the men leave our ship.

"They know!" Toph yells.

_A/N I know that it's been a while since I updated, and I haven't even finished the first episode of season 3. I have some one-shots I'm working on, and the fun part of this fic won't come in to play for about another 1,000 words. Oh, and I'm starting school after labor day, so updates will slow down to about once a month. The one shots are probably all going to be pre-series or season one, (and I know this is kinda weird, but ones Maiko and the others Zutara….) Please review, and another chapter shouldn't be too far behind._


	5. The Awakening Part 2:Gone

Chp 5:

Disclaimer: You know the drill. It's not mine.

Katara's POV

Toph steps on to the deck. She puts her hand on the deck of the ship and makes the metal to twist in on itself, sending the bridge connecting our ships to collapse. I step up to the edge and begin to for a wall between the two ships, and push the other one away. We speed away as fast as we can, but the other ship begins to shoot fire balls at us. We load ours and Zuko begins to fire them, while Toph shoots piece of earth at them as well. She wrecks their first machine and another piece of earth collides with a fire ball from the second.

"I'm going to give us some cover!" I yell, whipping up a heavy fog to keep them from shooting more Fire at us. They continue to shoot anyway, and we all duck as one comes hurtling towards the deck. We burst out of the fog, but so does the other ship. They continue to launch fire balls, and one of them sets the deck on fire, but Zuko quickly puts it out.

"How're we doing?" Toph asks.

"Things couldn't get much worse." Sokka and Zuko say at the say time. Then a long, scaly, green and purple sea monster bursts out of the water.

"The universe just loves proving me wrong, doesn't it?" Sokka asks.

"You make it too easy!" Toph replies.

The other ship continues to throw fire balls, and one of them hits the sea monster. It roars in anger and wraps itself around the ship. We continue to speed safely away.

"Thank you, the universe." Sokka says. Sometimes I worry about my brother.

~.~.~

After we pull up on the dock, Sokka claims that he's starving and that he needs food or he's going to faint.

"Why don't you kids go into town and find some dinner?" Dad suggests.

"Fine."I huff.

"I bet Twinkletoes will want some, too." Toph adds.

"You call the Avatar Twinkletoes?" Zuko asks, raising an eyebrow.

"His name is _Aang_, Zuko." I correct him.

"Oh. Aang, then." He says.

"Yep." Toph says. "And this is Snoozles, and that's Sugar Queen. You still need a nickname, though."

"He already has one." Sokka says as we clamber down the metal stairs. "The Angry Jerk. It used to be Angry Jerk with a ponytail, but he cut the ponytail off."

"Sokka! He's been on our side for weeks. You can stop calling him that." I scold him.

" How about….Hothead?!" Sokka suggests.

"Sokka!" I moan. I was just about ready to hit him with a water whip when we reached Aang's door.

"Hey, Aang. We're going into town to find some dinner." Toph announces.

"Well, I am pretty hungry. Maybe dinner is a good idea." Aang agrees. Sokka approaches him with a piece of red cloth.

"Here, wear this. It'll cover your arrow." Sokka tells him.

"I'm not going out if I can't wear my arrow proudly." Aang says stubbornly.

"Aang, come on. Be practical." Sokka says, but Aang turns away.

"You guys go ahead. We'll catch up with you." I tell them. They begin walking away, but Zuko and I lock eyes for a moment before I turn around to talk to Aang.

~.~.~

We walk back onto the ship, hauling enough food to last Sokka a week. That's a lot of food.

"I better go check on Aang." I say. I grab some food for him and begin heading down towards his room. I crack open the door. "I brought you some food." I say hesitantly. Aang doesn't respond. I open his door wider and look in. It's completely empty. I drop the tray.

"Oh, no." I cry, and begin running towards the deck. I keep running, until I stumble into someone.

"Katara? What's wrong?" Zuko asks.

"He's gone. He said he needed to regain his honor, and he has this stupid idea that he needs to do it all by himself, and that he doesn't need anyone's help…"I sob, putting my head in my hands.

" I think I understand what he means." Zuko says quietly. "Come on, you need to find Sokka and Toph."

~.~.~

Sokka, Toph and I all climb on Appa.

"Yip, y-" My brother starts, but I put my hand on his arm. "Wait."

"Zuko! Come on!" I yell. His gold eyes widen in surprise, but he climbs up on Appa anyway.

"Yip, yip." Sokka says. We take off and as we fly away, Dad looks me in the eye and smiles sadly. I wave, and then turn back towards the group.

"Where do you think he might be?" Toph asks. Sokka and I turn to Zuko.

"Why are you looking at me?" He asks.

"Well, you are the expert on tracking Aang." I say quietly. Zuko stops to think for a minute.

"He can't have gone too far. The weather's bad and he's hurt."

"Do you think he might have gone looking for Roku or into the spirit world for guidance?" I ask.

"Let's search all the surrounding areas. Maybe he stopped on an island along the way or something." Sokka says. We fly for hours, with no luck. The sun is just rising over the ocean, and there's no sign of him.

"Hey, look! Isn't that the island where Roku's temple used to be?" Sokka asks, pointing to a cresent shaped island not too far away.

" Yeah, it looks like it….Hey, there's someone down there! It's gotta be Aang!" I cry. Appa lands on the shore of the island and I jump off, running through the water.

"Aang! You're ok!" I sigh happily, giving him a hug. Sokka and Toph join in while Zuko stands awkwardly off to the side. I motion for him to come over, but he shrugs and doesn't move.

"I have so much to do." Aang says.

"But you'll have our help. " I tell him.

"Yeah. You didn't think you could escape training just by coming to the Fire Nation, did you?" Toph asks teasingly."

"What about the invasion?"Aang asks.

"We'll join up with my dad and the invasion force on the day of the eclipse." Sokka answers.

"Uh, Aang?" Zuko asks awkwardly. "Isn't this your…." He holds up Aang's glider, which is in pieces.

"That's ok. If someone saw it, it would give away my identity. It's better for now that no one knows I'm alive." Aang says. He sticks his glider in the ash from the volcano, and as the lava pours over it, it catches fire and crumbles away.

A/N Yes, I'm finally finished with the boring first few chapters. I can't wait to write the Puppetmaster and The Painted Lady. This might be the last update for a while though. If you don't like it, review. You'll be the one to blame if you're too lazy to tell me why you hate it. Review!


	6. The Dance Party

Chp 6

Disclaimer: It's Not Mine.

Zuko's POV

I jump off the bison and land neatly on my feet. Sokka jumps off as well before sneaking around to make sure no one is here.

"Great job with the cloud camo, but next time lets disguise ourselves as the kind of cloud that knows how to keep its mouth shut."

"Yeah, we wouldn't want a bird to hear us chatting and turn us in." Toph remarks sarcastically.

"We're in enemy territory. Those are enemy birds." Sokka says. I groan and begin walking around the area, but Sokka leaps in front of me and glances around suspiciously. He continues into the cave, and looks around.

"Well, this is how we'll be living until the invasion begins. Hiding in cave, after, cave, after cave…" he continues.

"Sokka, we don't need to become cave people. What we need is some new clothes." Katara says.

"Yeah. Blending in is better than hiding out. If we get Fire Nation disguises, we'll be just as safe as we would be hiding in a cave." Aang remarks. I snort.

"Are you kidding? Everyone in the Fire Nation knows my name. They'll recognize me in a second."

"Well, you did cut your ponytail off. And it's the Fire Nation. I'm sure there's lots of people with burn scars out there." Sokka shrugs. Katara slaps him and hisses,

"How can you be so insensitive?!"

"What? It's just a scar. What about that one I have from those two fish hooks that got caught in my thumb?" He says, rubbing the place where Katara slapped him.

"I probably have one where Azula shocked me." Aang says.

" OK, so Zuko has a scar. What's the big deal? I have a couple from the Earth Rumbles." Toph remarks.

"It covers half of my face, Toph." I tell her, trying to keep my voice from shaking. It's a lot more than just a scar.

_"Please, Father! I only had the Fire Nation's best interests at heart. I'm sorry I spoke out of turn!" _

_"You will fight for your honor." _

_"I meant you no disrespect. I am your loyal son." I say, kneeling on the floor before him._

_"Rise and Fight, Prince Zuko."He commands._

_"I won't fight you." I say, tears streaming down my face._

_"You will learn respect. And suffering will be your teacher." He says in a deadly voice._

"Uh, Zuko?" Toph asks. "Are you ok? Your heartbeat just sped up. A lot."

"I'm fine." I lie. "Anyway, where are we supposed to get Fire Nation clothes?" Sokka smiles.

~.~.~

I pull the shirt over my head and turn around.

"Uh, Aang, you know that's a school uniform, right?" I ask.

"What? It is? Are you sure?" he asks, inspecting his clothes.

"Yeah. I had to wear one when I was a kid." I inform him. Sokka bursts out laughing.

"_You_ had to wear a_ school uniform_?" He asks, snorting with laughter. I cross my arms and scowl at him.

"Yes. I switched to home schooling, though." I tell him.

"So, how do I look?" Katara asks, walking up behind us. Aang blushes and rubs his neck. He likes her.

"Uh, your necklace…" I point out.

"Oh, right. It's pretty obviously Water Tribe, huh?" She says sadly. She takes it off and holds it tightly in her hand.

~.~.~

We come to a little stand selling necklaces, head bands, and top knot holders. Sokka, Katara, and Toph each buy something with the Fire Nation money we got from the ship, and Aang tucks his lemur into his shirt. We walk around the corner and Aang says;

"I used to visit my friend Kuzon here 100 years ago. So everyone follow my lead and stay cool, or, as they say in the Fire Nation- Stay Flamin'!"

"Your knowledge of the Fire Nation is a little outdated. Nobody says that anymore." I snort. But Aang is already rounding the corner and marching down the street, pointing to random people and saying "Greetings, my good Hotman!"

People are staring at him with peculiar looks on their faces. I groan and walk up to him.

"What are you _doing_?!" I hiss.

"Being Fire Nation." He says as if it's totally obvious. "Are you forgetting that I'm from the Fire Nation?" I ask, rolling my eyes.

"Oh. Right." He mumbles.

"Hey, look! Meat!" Sokka says, pointing to a store. "Let's get some."

"We're going to a meat place?" Aang says skeptically.

"Come on Aang, everyone here eats meat." Sokka says.

"You guys go ahead. I'll go get some lettuce out of the garbage." Aang says.

"Suit yourself, Twinkletoes." Toph says, walking into the meat place. We all follow her lead.

~.~.~

"Mmmm, this is some good meat!" Sokka says.

"Hey, where did Twinkletoes go?" Toph asks.

"I don't know. Let's check around and meet back here." Katara says.

~.~.~

"I guess you guys didn't find him, either." Sokka says, as we all come back to the meat store.

"Maybe he went back to the cave." Toph says.

"It's worth a try." Katara says.

"Ok! Back to the cave, then." Sokka says. We begin walking back to the cave where we left all our stuff and Appa.

"Do you think he got captured again?" Katara asks.

"No. Everyone thinks he's dead, remember?" Sokka says.

"Oh. Yeah." Katara says.

"Maybe he ran away again." Toph says.

"No, I don't think so. What would his reason be this time?" Sokka asks.

"I don't know. We'll just have to see if he's at the cave." Toph says.

~.~.~

"Aang? Are you here?" Sokka asks loudly, his voice echoing through the cave.

"There's no one here." Toph says.

"I guess we should just wait until he comes back." Sokka says.

"How can you just sit here?" I ask. "Who knows what might have happened to him?"

"I don't think he's in trouble. No one even knows he's alive. He'll come back as soon as he can." Sokka says.

"I don't know, Sokka. Maybe Zuko's right." Katara says.

"Remember when we were sick and he got captured by Zhao? He came back as soon as he could." Sokka says.

"And we had to suck on frozen frogs? How could I forget?" Katara snaps.

"Frozen frogs?" I ask. When I rescued Aang from Zhao he said something about frogs….Was this the same time?

"Yeah. I had a wart on that flap that hangs down from the back of my throat for a month."

"Sokka, I looked at it and there was nothing there." Katara says in an annoyed tone.

"I could feel it! It's my throatal flap!"

"What are they talking about?" I ask Toph.

"Beats me." She says, shrugging.

"How did you meet them, anyway?" I ask.

"They showed up at Earth Rumble 6."

"Earth Rumble?" What's an Earth Rumble? I heard her use the term before, but I have no idea what it means.

"An earthbending compition. They have this arena, and the earthbenders fight for honor and stuff." I wince.

"It sounds a lot like Agni Kai." I mutter. But Agni Kai is to settle disputes, not for the entertainment of others. Although, sometimes, a crowd gathers…

"I won 4, 5, and 6. I still have the belt." She says proudly.

"Not true. Aang won 6." Sokka points out.

"He did not! He blasted me out of the ring using airbending!" Toph huffs.

"Whatever." Sokka says.

"Don't you think Aang should be back by now? It's almost dark." Katara says worriedly. She begins to pace around the cave.

"He'll be back soon, Sugar Queen. Just relax." Toph says.

"Do you think we should go look for him? Maybe he's in trouble!" She says.

"Sweetness, would you just sit down? Your stomping is giving me a headache." Toph complains.

"Fine." Katara relents.

"It's cold in here. Will someone please light a fire?" Sokka asks. "I'll do it." Katara says, getting up.

"I can do it." I tell her. I light a fire in the middle of the cave and we all sit around it, even the bison.

~.~.~

"Hey! Twinkletoes is back!" Toph says, sitting up. Right on cue, Aang walks into the cave, covered in ash and dirt.

"Where've you been? We've been worried sick."

"Well, Sugar Queen was, anyway." Toph grumbles.

"Oh, sorry. I got invited to play with some kids after school." Aang says, taking off his headband.

"After_ what_?! Sokka says, standing up.

"Ha! I told you it was a school uniform!" I smirk.

"I enrolled in a Fire Nation school. And I'm going back tomorrow." Aang said, smiling.

"Enrolled in _what_?!" Sokka yells.

"A Fire Nation school. Well, actually, some officials came and dragged me there, but I made it through the day, and it was pretty fun."

"Come and sit down, Aang. We should probably discuss this as a group." Katara says.

~.~.~

"Aang, I'm trying to be mature and not immediately shoot down your idea, but it sounds _terrible_." Sokka says.

"Yeah, we already have our disguises. What do you need to go to _school_ for?" Toph adds.

"Every minute I'm in that classroom, I'm learning new things about the Fire Nation. I already have a picture of Firelord Ozai." He says, holding up a piece of paper. "I also have one of the royal family." He adds, holding up a picture of my father, and Azula.

"That figures." I mutter. I snatch the paper, crumple it up, and toss it in the fire.

"What did you do that for?" Aang asks.

"My sister is a monster and my father is cruel and heartless."

"They're still your family." Katara says.

"Do I look like I care?" I snap.

"I think you do." She says quietly.

"Ugh!" I yell, causing the fire to soar up to the top of the cave. I get up and walk out of the cave, and into the darkness outside. I continue to walk down the beach, thinking about the picture. My mother disappeared, and I was banished. We were wiped out of the picture, leaving only my father and the perfect princess. I hear footsteps behind me, and see Katara walking along the edge of the surf. I stop to wait for her.

"Why did you get so mad back there."

"I don't know."

"Is it about your mom?"

"They wiped her out of the picture. It was like she never even existed. No one ever talked about her after she disappeared. Then they wiped me out, too."

"Is that what upset you? That you weren't included in their family?" she asks.

"No, that's not it. Azula and my father….they were never my family. My uncle was more of a father to me than Ozai ever was. And my cousin….he was like a brother to me."

"Oh. Where is your cousin now?" Katara asks.

"He died in siege of Ba Sing Se." I tell her.

"I'm sorry." She says quietly.

"It doesn't matter." I mutter. "So, is Aang going back to school?" I ask, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah."

"Good."

"Yeah, I guess…"

"Let's go back to the cave." I say abruptly.

"Alright." Katara says, and begins walking back towards the cave.

~.~.~

"Twinkletoes is back!" Toph says.

"Hey, guys….Could you do a favor for me?" Aang asks sheepishly.

"Yeah….What do you need us to do?" Sokka asks Aang suspiciously.

"Well, I got into a fight, and now the headmaster wants me to bring my parents to school…." Aang says.

"So? What do you want us to do?" Sokka asks more persistently.

"Could you…"

~.~.~

"So, how did the meeting with the headmaster go?" Toph asks as Sokka, Aang, and Katara walk back into the cave.

"Horrible. He threatened to send Aang to reform school." Katara says, sitting down on the floor.

"That's it! No more school for you, young man!" Sokka yells at Aang.

"I'm not ready to leave. I'm having fun for once, just being a normal kid. You don't get it. You get to be normal all the time." Aang says.

"Haha!" Toph says, to Sokka's dismay.

"Listen, guys. Those kids at school are the future of the Fire Nation. If we want to change this place for the better, we need to show them a little bit of freedom."

"And what could you do for a country of depraved little Fire Monsters?" Sokka asks.

"Hold on. Not the whole country is like that." I remark angrily.

"I know, I know, you changed." Sokka says impatiently.

"I was talking about my cousin. And my uncle and mother."

"How are you going to help these kids, Aang?" Katara asks.

"I'm going to throw them a secret dance party." Aang says. I groan and Sokka yells,

"GO TO YOUR ROOM."

~.~.~

Katara's POV

I bend the water in the fountain in quick circles, while Toph sets up the stage for the band and Sokka and Zuko light the candles.

"I can't believe you guys are doing this." Zuko groans. "Did you do this kind of stuff while I was chasing you, too?"

"Yeah." Aang laughed.

"It's a miracle I never caught you."

"Yeah, it is. But Azula never caught us, either." I point out.

"True. If the firebending prodigy couldn't catch you, no one could."

"They're coming! Everyone stop bending!" Toph yells. Right on cue, a bunch of kids walk into the cave, moving around nervously. I walk over to one of the earth tables and sit down next to Toph, Sokka, and Zuko.

"So, what do we do now?" Toph asks, drinking juice from an ice cup.

"Wait for everyone to start dancing, I guess." I reply.

"Forget it. I'm not waiting around for a bunch of Fire Nation babies to start being independent for once in their lives. I'm dancing," Toph says, standing up. "and Snoozles is coming with me."

"What? Toph!" Sokka moans. Toph grabs him by the shirt collar and pulls him over to the dance floor, where some kids are finally starting to dance. Which leaves me alone with Zuko.

"He really got everyone into it." I say, looking out onto the dance floor, where everyone is finally starting to get the hang of it.

"Yeah. He's really good at that." Zuko says.

"So…do you want to dance?" I ask quietly.

"No." Zuko snaps.

"Ok." I shrug and sit back down. Out on the dance floor, Toph is bending the earth beneath Sokka's feet to get him to move. Sokka is has to grip onto her shoulders just to keep from falling down. I can't help but smile. Aang walks up to me and offers me his hand.

"I don't know, Aang. These shoes aren't right for dancing and I'm not sure that I can…." I mumble nervously, tripping over my words and running my fingers through my hair.

"Just take my hand." He says calmly.

"Ok." I agree and he pulls me off my feet.

~.~.~

Zuko's POV

Toph comes over with Sokka, who sinks down into the chair next to me.

"Remind me _never_ to dance with you again, Toph." Sokka says, scowling at the earthbender.

"Not likely," she says, laughing.

"Ugh." Sokka groans.

"Why are you so down, Hothead?" Toph asks.

"I'm not down." I reply.

"Oooo, is someone mad they didn't get to dance with Sugar Queen?" Toph asks mockingly.

"No, that's not it." I snap.

_"I can tell your lying!" _She teases in a singsong voice.

"How? Are you a human lie detector or something?" I ask grumpily.

"Yes, I am." She says smugly.

"How does it work, then?" I ask.

"When someone lies, there's a physical reaction. I can feel the vibrations through the ground and can feel it if they aren't telling the truth." She explains.

"Wait, someone's coming." She says. It's Katara and Aang.

"The headmaster's here! We have to go!" Aang says.

~.~.~

Katara's POV

"It's ok, Sokka. We're safe. You can take off the beard." I laugh

"Oh, no, I can't. It's permenantly glued to my skin." Sokka says.

"Wait to go, Dancy-Pants. You did help those kids. You taught them to be free." Toph says.

"It was just a dance party." Aang says.

"Well, that was some dance party, Aang." I sigh. Normally, I would kiss his cheek, but that we would be akward with Zuko right there. So I give him a hug instead.

"Flamey-O!" Sokka says.

A/N Review!


	7. The Fishing Town

Chp 7

The Fishing Town

Disclaimer: I don't own my favorite TV show.

Katara's POV

Appa groans as we float through the green and gray river. Aang bends himself out and lands in the saddle.

"Uh, I think this river is polluted." He says, dripping gray and brown gunk all over everything.

"You're getting mud all over everything." I groan.

"Sorry." He says, airbending himself dry and spraying mud all over us.

"Ugh! Gross!" I yell.

"Oops." Aang says, and airbends us dry.

"Well, that would explain why I can't catch a fish. Because, normally my fishing skills are _off the hook_." Sokka says. "Get it? Like a fishing hook?" He holds up his fishing line as proof.

"Too bad they aren't _on_ the hook." Zuko grumbles. Everyone laughs, to Sokka's annoyance.

"I guess we'll need to find somewhere else to get food." I sigh. Sokka pulls out his schedule and it rolls out over the saddle. "Assuming that will fit into Sokka's schedule." I add.

"Hmm. It's do-able. But that means only _two_ potty breaks today." Sokka says, examining his schedule.

"Hey, maybe they have food there." Zuko says, pointing out a small village built on top of the lake.

"Probably. We should leave Appa over on this side of the lake, though. If someone sees him, it could blow our cover." I add.

~.~.~

"Ok, I covered Appa. We can go now." Aang says.

"So, where is this village? I don't feel anything." Toph remarks.

"It's built right on top of the river." Zuko says.

"Oh, no. I hate wood. I can't see a thing on it. I'd take a rock or a metal boat over wood any day." Toph says.

"How is metal any better that wood?" I ask.

"Metal is made of earth. I can still fell vibrations." Toph replies

"Then why can't you bend it?" Aang asks.

"I _can_." Toph says smugly.

"You're a metalbender? Flamey-O, Hotman!" Aang yells, jumping in the air.

"Need a ride?" A voice asks. "I'm Doc. May I ask who you are?" A man is standing on a wooden boat right below us.

"We're, uh, from the Earth Kingdom Colonies." Zuko lies.

"Wow, colonials." He says. "Hop on, I'm give you a ride into town."

~.~.~

"So, why do you live on the river?" Zuko asks.

"Because we're a fishing town. At least we were before the factory moved in." Doc replies. A Fire Nation factory is sitting on one side of the river, spewing black smoke and dumping nasty smelling munk into the water.

"The army makes their metal there. Moved in a couple years ago and started gunking up our river. Now our little village is struggling to survive." Doc continues. Zuko and I look at each other, then turn away as we get closer to the village. Once the boat reaches the edge, Zuko, Aang, and I jump of the boat. Sokka helps Toph off and then we begin to walk around the tiny village. There are people all over the village, every one of them looking at us with sad, empty eyes.

"Just look at this place. It's so sad." I murmur, looking at the ground. "We have to do something to help."

"No, we can't waste our time here. We have a bigger mission that we need to stay focused on. These people are on their own!" Sokka says fiercely, and begins to walk away. I run up to him and hold him back.

"These people are starving, but you turn your back on them?! How can you be so cruel and heartless?"

"I am not turning my back on them! I'm just being realistic! We'll be helping them all by taking out the Fire lord!" Sokka practically yells. I can't help but notice that Zuko winces slightly when Sokka talks about taking out the Fire Lord. I put my hand on his shoulder and ask,

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. Let's just keep moving." He says, shrugging my hand off. I look at him sadly and wonder if he winced because the Fire Lord is his father and the thought of _taking him out_ makes Zuko uncomfortable, or because he is pained by the memory of his father. Sokka comes up to me and says,

"Katara, I know you just want to help, but our mission has to come first." He says gently.

"I guess so." I lie. I'm glad we aren't on land, because Toph would reveal my fib in a minute. If only I could find a way to help them without Sokka knowing…

~.~.~

After wandering around the town a bit, we find a place that looks like it could be a store. We walk up to it and behind the counter is Doc.

"Hey, you're that guy from the docks." Zuko says.

"No, that's my brother, Doc. I'm Shu."

"No. We just saw you. You're even wearing the same clothes. The only difference is your hat." Aang points out.

"Doc works on the docks. That's why we call him Doc. I work in the shop. That's why they call me Shu." The man insists.

"Ok, this guy is nuts." Zuko mutters. I realize something. He does different things under a different name. A disguise. Maybe I could put on different clothes and help the villagers….

"Uh, Katara? We got the fish. We're leaving now." Toph says, punching me.

"What? Oh, right." I mumble hastily, rubbing the spot where Toph punched me. Then I feel someone tugging on my clothes. I look down and a little boy with a burn scar on his shoulder is standing next to me.

"Can you spare some food?" He asks. I take out one of the fish and hand it to the boy.

"I wish I could help more." I whisper sadly. The boy smiles happily and bows before running off, the fish held tightly in his grasp. He takes it to a woman who is lying on the floor, obviously sick. I need to help these people. I stand up and begin to form a plan….

~.~.~

As we work around the campfire, Sokka walks around, his schedule trailing along the ground.

"Ok, our detour into town completely threw off our schedule. It's going to take some serious adjusting to get us back on track." Sokka says.

"Adjust away, O' schedule master." Toph remarks sarcastically.

"For starters, it looks like we'll need to wake up 43 minutes earlier every day." Sokka begins.

"43 minutes?" Zuko asks, rolling his eyes.

"Look, we only have a few weeks to get to the Fire Lord in time for the invasion and the eclipse, which, by way, only lasts for eight minutes. If we want to get there, we need to start waking up early."

"Fine by me. I'm usually up by dawn anyway." Zuko says, stretching. It reminds me of something he said a long time ago.

"You rise with the moon. I rise with the sun." I mumble under my breath. Zuko is the only one who hears me, but then again, he's the only other person who knows what it means. He scowls at me and mutters,

"Go jump in the river." I scowl back. I said that. I turn away, laughing, as Zuko's water sloshes all over him. He growls and then the fire blasts upward, soaring ten feet into the air.

"What is your problem?! What if the villagers see it?!" Sokka hisses.

"Oh, lighten up, Snoozles." Toph groans, bending a huge rock underneath him, which causes him to jump.

"Toph!" He groans.

"That's what you get for trying to get me to wake up early." She says.

"Ooh! I got it! We'll take food breaks and potty breaks _at the same time_!" He says. Everyone gags.

"Hey, it's gross, but it's efficient." Sokka adds. We all sigh and begin to get ready for bed.

~.~.~

I get up and quietly stuff my bag with moss. Then I put on an old purple cloak I found in the village. I have to sneak carefully out of camp, or I might wake Toph up. And I have to be back before dawn so that Zuko's not up when I sneak into camp. I tiptoe away, not stopping until I'm sure I'm out of Toph's feeling range. Then I stop on the edge of the river. Where am I going to get enough food to feed everyone? Then I realize the problem is about to become the solution. The factory.

~.~.~

I finally haul all the barrels to the shore and sit down for a moment to rest. Then I create a slab of ice on the river, and begin to load all the barrels on to it. I jump on and begin to bend the river water, making it propel me across the river. Once I reach the fishing town I load all the barrels on to the dock, and jump off. I slowly drag each one to the front of a house, then I jump back on my piece of ice and bend myself back to the shore. I can't wait until the villagers wake up tomorrow. However, the sun will be rising soon, and I have to get back to camp. However, I stop on the way to get some purple berries. They should turn Appa's tongue purple and might convince everyone that he's sick. Then we'll have to stay another night, and I can heal the sick villagers tomorrow. I sneak into camp and feed Appa the berries, then get rid of the moss in my sleeping bag. I climb in and smile to myself before drifting off to sleep.


	8. Rewriting The Crystal Catacombs

I know, it's been a year since I've updated. I just wanted to tell you guys that I **am** going to resume working on the story. However, I am going to start over from the beginning. It will follow the same idea and plot line, but I plan on making it much more detailed. I've grown a lot as a writer over the past year, and I hope the newer version is much more entertaining. I also wanted to thank Digi-fanCapp and Luna de Rivera for inspiring me to keep writing this story, as well as everyone who took the time to review. I probably won't be writing much when school starts up again, but I'll fit in as much as I can. (I may also change the name to The Crossroads of Destiny, as it relates more to the story than The Crystal Catacombs)

-SasaRea.


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